Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-09-09
.AlNT CEREMONlALS.
Two Fanclrul Good Friday Customs OBJ
served In tho City of London.

Two Fancirul Good Friday Customs OBJ
served In tho City of London.
A quaint and curious custom has
been practiced for over four hundred
years on Good Friday in the church
yard OF ST. Bartholomcw-thc-Great,
Smithlicld, once the finest Norman
church in London, and still exhibiting
in what is left of it great architectural
beauty in the grandeur of its Norman
arcadcs. In this churchyard, on Good
Friday, twcnty-ono poor WIDOWS be-
longing to the parish are assembled
round n fiat stone tomb of an "un-
known person." and each widow
picks up thcrefrom new sixpence
twcnty-one Of these coins having been
placed there by the church wardcns.
The origin of this charitable dole is un-
known. There are no traces of any
will, nor is there any fund set apart for
this purpose; but the few shillings
necessary are usually subscribed by two
or three of the parishioncrs. The lc-
gend referring to the dole is, that some
centuries ago an old widow lady, res
idcnt in the parish, directed by her
will that her tomb in the churchyard
should be visited by twcnty-onc aged
widows after mathis every Good Friday
morning, and that they should there
and then each pick up n new six
pence to be laid on the flat top of the
stone in readiness for them. Although
this curious custom has been observed
for four hundred years, the name OF
the founder has been lost, and even her
tomb is unknown. The old ladies, how
ever, are accommodated at n large flat
stone without name, where the dole
is regularly paid every Good Friday
morning.
Another very fanciful custom is OBJ
served on Good-Friday morning by di-
rection of pious citizen named Peter
Symonds, who died in 1886. BY his
will he directed that sixty of tho young
est boys of Christ's Hospital, commonly
called the "Blue-coat School," should
attend mathis every Good-Friday
morning in the church of Allhallows,
Lombard street, the tcstator's parish;
and after the service was over, each
boy was to receive Il new penny and a
bag of raisins. This practice is strictly
carried out at the present day; the
rasins are placed in paper bags, and
tho pennies, perfectly new from the
bank, procured for tho occasion. Fully
approaching the good deed of Sy-
mOnds, another citizen, William Petts
by name, who died in the year 1862, by
his will directed that 1.-The minister who
preached the sermon on Good-Friday
morning to the sixty Bluc-coat Boys
should receive a fee of twenty shil-
lings; the clerk four shillings;
the sexton, three shillings and
siXpence. This ceremony is strictly
carried out every Good-Friday morn
ing, the churchwardens benevolently
adding an additional grant, in order
that tho children of the ward and Sur
day-schools might also partake of som,
of the nice things appertaining to the
Good-Fridny hospitalitics. On the last
occasion, very largo congregation
assembled at the church of Allhallows
to hear the sermon and witness the
singular and interesting ceremonial,
The ancient city of London is re.
markable for many curious customs
having their origin centuries back, to
which, perhaps, we may allude more
fully at a future time. The two above
referred to are, however, the only ones
we believe associnted with Good-Fr
day. Chambers journal.